SERIES #16 @ SAN FRANCISCO - Quakers Back to Winning Ways

Baltimore looks to get their bats back on track with a trip out West to face the best team in the MBL, the San Francisco Quakers.  The Stouts bats have been anything but of late, averaging less the 3.5 runs per game in their last 12 contests.  They also have only won two of their last six games.  San Fran is also struggling lately, losers of four in a row coming into the series.  Their last loss was a heart-breaking extra-inning defeat to the Arizona Apaches.  They head home looking to right the ship.  Let's see how it all played out.

AT&T PARK - HOME OF THE QUAKERS

Game 1
AT&T Park

May 20, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (20-26)	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	8	2
San Francisco Quakers (30-16)	0	0	1	2	2	1	1	0	X		7	8	1
	W: M. Mussina (6-2)   L: E. Dessens (0-5)

HR: J. Vander Wal (11, 5th inning off E. Dessens 1 on, 2 out), T. Glaus (15, 6th inning off A. Osuna 0 on, 0 out)

Mike Mussina tosses complete game

Baltimore jumped out to an early lead in this one when Fernando Vina doubled home Ricky Gutierrez in the 2nd to put the Stouts up 1-0.  Their lead would be short-lived though as the Quakers score in each of the next five innings, powered by long flies by John Vander Wal and Troy Glaus, their 11th and 15th homers on the season respectively.  Mike Mussina went the distance for his sixth victory on the year.  Stouts starter Elmer Dessens saw his record drop to 0-5.

Game 2
AT&T Park

May 21, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (20-27)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2		3	10	0
San Francisco Quakers (31-16)	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	1		4	6	0
	W: R. Nen (4-1)   L: A. Benitez (0-1)

HR: T. Lampkin (3, 6th inning off K. Appier 1 on, 1 out)

Both starters had their stuff working in this contest.  San Francisco broke through first with a solo run off of Kevin Appier in the 4th inning.  Baltimore responds against Steve Sparks to tie it up in the top of the 6th, only to see the Quakers score in the bottom half when catcher Tom Lampkin blasted two-run homer to give San Fran the 3-1 lead.

The game headed into the 9th with the Quakers holding onto a two run lead.  San Fran closer Rob Nen allowed the first two hitters to reach base, only to see him strike out the next two batters he faced.  With two outs and the game on the line, Eric Owens stepped to the plate and laced a double to deep left center, scoring both base-runners and tying the game at three apiece.  Todd Helton was intentionally walked, and Eduardo Perez popped out to end the rally.  But the game went to the bottom of the 9th deadlocked at 3-3.

Baltimore turned to their closer, Armando Benitez, to keep the game tied.  He entered the game having allowed only a single run in 13 innings for the Stouts since coming over in a trade earlier in the year.  But it wasn't in the cards for him this day.  In the blink of an eye, the game was over.  Benitez walked leadoff hitter Dan Wilson.  He was sacrificed to second by Mike Cameron, then driven home when Mike Bordick slapped a single to right.  Quakers win the game 4-3 despite being outhit in the game 10-6.  The Stouts managed to go only 2-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners in the game.  They look to avoid the sweep in game three.



Game 3
AT&T Park

May 22, 2014

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Baltimore Stouts (21-27)	0	0	0	0	0	5	3	0	0		8	15	0
San Francisco Quakers (31-17)	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	2		5	8	0
	W: A. Osuna (5-0)   L: E. Milton (5-4) SV: A. Benitez (11)

HR: G. Anderson (10, 6th inning off E. Milton 2 on, 1 out)
HR: D. Wilson (3, 5th inning off A. Osuna 0 on, 0 out)

After Baltimore dropped the first two games in the series, their overall record of 20-27 was their worst mark of the year since starting the season 0-6.  They sent the season's best starter in Kirk Rueter to the mound to try and stop the bleeding.  Unfortunately, he was injured in the 2nd inning and had to leave the game.  The injury was not believed to be serious, but the game had to be turned over to the bullpen.  Antonio Osuna, in his first inning of work, gave up a single run.  He allowed another run in the 5th when Dan Wilson hit a solo homer to put the Quakers up 2-0.

San Francisco starter Eric Milton was cruising allowing only two hitters to reach base through his first five innings of work.  He took a 2-0 lead to the hill in the sixth.  And that's when the wheels fell off.  The first three batters he faced all singled.  Milton got Albert Belle to strikeout for the first out of the inning, but his next batter, Garret Anderson blasted a three-run homer to give the Stouts a 4-2 advantage.  Jay Bell then doubled and scored when Brian Schneider singled him home.  That was it for Milton.  What started out so well ended in disaster.  Steve Karsay put out the fire to end the inning but Baltimore had taken a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.

The Quakers got one run back in their half off LaTroy Hawkins, who had relieved Osuna to start the inning, to make it 5-3.  But the Stouts responded with three more in the 7th off Quaker reliever Bryan Ward.  They took a 8-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th.  It looked as if it would be an uneventful final frame for Baltimore as the first two San Francisco batters struck out against Stouts reliever Alan Embree.  But after a Rafael Furcal walk and back-to-back doubles by Mike Bordick and Tom Lampkin, the tying run stood on deck.  Enough was enough, and Armando Benitez was summoned to collect the final out for his 11th save of the season.  Osuna tossed three innings in relief to push his record to 5-0.

Baltimore heads back home for a three game set against the struggling Houston Buffaloes, who bring an 18-30 record into town, losers of four of their last six.